Kettlebells or Dumbbells?  Solid or Adjustable? (Kettlebell Exercises)

(originally published at workingclassfitness.blospot.com)

As kettlebells (KBs) become more and more popular in North America - and around the world, for that matter - you will see more and more different Kettlebell manufacturers.

While not the first company to produce and market KBs in North America, it was Dragondoor (and one of its main authors, Pavel Tsatsouline) who brought KBs and their usage to light and were (along with many of DD's certified trainers) responsible for KBs going "mainstream" to coin a phrase...

Since that time, various other companies have began to produce and market KBs including (but surely not limited to) Max, Ader, York, Kettlebell Concepts, Iron Woody, Agatsu, Lifeline USA, Fedorenko, and others.

Also since that time, a product that has been developed and marketed is the plate-loaded KB. This is a handle in the shape of a KB, but can be loaded with plates. While there are a few different manufacturers of these, the two main ones are Iron Woody and Kettlestack.

There are advantages and disadvantages to both solid and plate-loaded KBs. Pros for solids are that they take up very little space (individually - having multiple KBs can take up some room), will last a lifetime, are virtually indestructable, great for throwing/juggling, and save you from having to change weights.

Cons for solids are (as mentioned) having a few can take up a bunch of room, cost (KBs can be very expensive, and shipping isn't cheap either), and the weight jumps from KB to KB can be somewhat drastic.

Pros for plate-loaded are the adjustability factor (you can increase in small increments instead of larger jumps in weight), cost (plate-loaded handles are much cheaper than solids, shipping is minimal, they use weight plates that many - esp in home gym setups - already have, and they take little room.

Cons for plate-loaded are that they can come apart, can flex some when using heavy KBs for ballistics, big KBs (i.e. - a lot of weight plates) can alter the shape so that they aren't as "round" as solids, but more cylinder shaped, no flat bottom to use the KBs for "Renegade Rows" and other such exercises, and aren't sturdy enough to juggle/throw (they can take it a few times, but aren't designed/built for such training).

Some of these notions, in my opinion, while valid, aren't always what they're cracked up to be. For example, with solids, the jump from KB to heavier KB isn't that big of a deal anymore. When KBs first became popular, you were looking at a roughly 15 lb. increase per KB. That's fairly substantial. However, since that time, most companies have come out with more intermediary weight KBs, so that your jumps are only in the 7-8 lb. range. While that can be a bit, KBs are meant for repetition lifting (even when going heavy). You won't be going for 1RMs. If strength level is so that you could possibly use a KB that is 3-4 lbs. heavier, but not 7-8 lbs. heavier, then you need to train some more, and get stronger first. Hold off on getting that next bell until you are strong enough to actually need it.

For the plate-loaded bells, I keep reading about how people are afraid that the KBs will come apart in the middle of a set. This blows my mind. Why are people so afraid of this? People have used - and still use - adjustable, plate-loaded dumbbells every single day, and this isn't a concern. If you're not afraid of a plate-loaded dumbbell, why are you afraid of a plate-loaded KB? And YOU will be the one putting the plate-loaded KB together. It's not hard - all you have to do is tighten a bolt or two with an allen wrench. As I recently posted on a public Strength & Conditioning forum: "IMHO, If you can't trust yourself to use an allen wrench correctly, then what size KB to buy is the least of your troubles..."

As far as the juggling/throwing goes, that depends on you and your workouts. If juggling/throwing your KBs is something that you're looking at doing a lot of, then solids are where you need to go. That's a fact. But, as often as I see this brought up, I really wonder how many people are actually juggling/throwing their KBs. I'm not saying that people aren't, but I think more people talk about it than actually do it...

As far as the shape of the KB goes, being flat on the bottom can be very useful. I've seen ideas for giving plate-loaded KBs flat bottoms (or pinching things between the plates so that they can stand upright), but nothing that I was a real big fan of. Solids are the way to go here. As far as big plate-loaded KBs becoming cylinder shaped, well, I'm sure that could be an issue if you were used to using round solids. If you never have, then it might not be as big of a deal. But, as new manufacturers start producing solid KBs, they are taking on slightly different shapes as well. Some with slightly thicker handles, some that are all the same diameter (regardless of weight), and others that don't even have flat bottoms.

Really, if you decide to buy KBs, what kind to get usually ends up coming down to one main thing - price. Plate-loaded KBs win here every time. A close second in the decision making process is what you plan on doing with them. If things such as juggling, throwing, Renegade Rows, and such are going to be large parts of your training, then that may justify the price. Another thing to consider is what sort of programs will you be doing? Will they be strictly KB? Or will KBs play only a part of the overall program in addition to barbells, sandbags, bodyweight calisthenics, etc?

For my own experience, I ended up choosing a pair of Kettlestack handles. I already had the weight plates, my training wasn't going to exclusively be KBs, and juggling, throwing and such, wasn't something I was looking at doing. The folks over at Kettlestack were running a deal on shipping (I got them right before Christmas), so I picked up a pair. A pair of their "blue band" Kettlestack handles (the ones for heavy KBs), shipped to my house inside of a couple days were less than one 35 lb. solid KB would have run me.

I love the Kettlestacks, and use them quite a bit in my training. They are a great product, made very well, and the good folks at Kettlestack was great with answering questions I had via email. Kettlestacks are a great product. I highly recommend them. (Head over to www.kettlestack.com to take a look.)

However, KBs have NOT replaced my dumbbells (DB). Many seem to think that KBs and DBs are an "either/or" kind of thing. Personally, I like DBs for a lot of movements. In fact, there are some exercises I prefer DBs to KBs.

With my KBs, I like Swings and High Pulls. I really like the groove for Clean and Presses, and the "rack" position is perfect for Front Squats. The thick handles make them great for grip exercises like Farmer's Walks, and the handle being a little higher off the ground than DBs make them great for Suitcase Deadlifts and Twisting Deadlifts.

However, there are some exercises that DBs are just better with. Curls and Floor Presses come to mind. Bent Rows are much better for me with DBs, as since I'm a short guy, the handle being higher off the floor on KBs, while great for Deadlifts, actually shortens my Range of Motion for Rows. Bent Raise-Rows are still my favorite back exercise, and they're perfect with DBs.

The exercise that surprised me, though, were Snatches.

I like the groove of a DB Snatch much better than a KB Snatch. The KB Snatch is more of an extended Swing (Bryce Lane once wrote "...if you swing it out far enough, the up and over will take care of itself..."). When I Snatch a DB, I pull the 'bell more of in a vertical straight line. Almost like a High Pull that I then squat under.

There isn't anything "wrong" with either variation, it's just that I prefer DBs better in this case.

(Footnote - not long after originally publishing this article, I had a ton of people telling me you could still KB snatches in a vertical pulling style like you can with DBs. This is true - you can. However, most folks don't - they use more of a "swing" style to the KB snatch. This is what I was referring to.)

When all is said and done, it's all still a judgement call on your part. KBs don't replace DBs, and vice versa. Solids or plate-loaded is up to what sort of training you're going to do, and how much you're willing to spend.

Whichever tool you end up choosing, just use it smart and work hard. Those two will make a bigger difference than anything...

Train Hard, Rest Hard, Play Hard.